Ishtar

My older daughter was lying on the floor staring at her computer upside down.  “Whatchu working on?”  “Have to do something on Mesopotamia.”  “Awesome!” “Whatever.”  “What are you going to do it on?”  “My friend and I have to pick something.  Mythology.”  “Do you remember last summer when we went to the Brooklyn Museum?”  “Sort of.”  “They have that amazing life size wall relief.  The guy with the wings and the sandals?  Near Eastern something.  What was that?  You remember it?” “Nope.”  “I’m gonna look it up.”

What I’d remembered was the “Relief of Winged Man-Headed Figure Facing Right.”  https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/70575/Relief_of_Winged_Man-Headed_Figure_Facing_Right

The figures in the reliefs from King Ashur-nair-pal II’s palace, including the king himself, are sometimes depicted with wrist- and headbands decorated with rosettes. When worn by genies, rosettes may identify them as personal attendants of the king. The rosette may have been associated with the worship of the goddess Ishtar, since numerous rosettes have been found in her temple in the Assyrian city of Ashur.

“Ishtar, man.  That is it.  Do it on the goddess Ishtar!”  I could tell she was mildly curious, which is about as good as it gets.  Ishtar goes way back.  She makes an appearance, albeit as a brat, in the oldest piece of literature ever carved into a tablet, “The Book of Gilgamesh.”  She served as the Asyrian goddess of love, war, fertility and sexuality, which probably meant folks consulted with her regularly.  Akin to Venus for the Romans, Aphrodite for the Greeks; same pantheon, different name; the Fertile Crescent probably makes as good a claim as anywhere to the origins of this mighty lady. 

“I think we’re supposed to find someone named ‘Astar-ish.’”  “OK.  Hah!  Look here.  Astarte is supposed to be a different name for Ishtar.  They’re both goddesses of love.”  “Lemme see.”  “Ishtar is totally the cooler name.  You should do Ishtar.”  She took all this in calmly, and returned to her computer. 

I returned to consider the Man Headed Figure and his wings.  Massive forearms, and a handbag.  I’m glad the Man Headed Figure is safely incarcerated there on Eastern Parkway, and out of the hands of ISIS.